Job Vacancies in Kaduna State at Value Seeds Limited

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Value Seeds Limited was incorporated in 2009 and started business same year.  We are in the business of research, multiplication and distribution of field crops; importation and distribution of assorted vegetable seeds. We are licensed by National Agricultural Seeds Council.  We are a member of SEEDAN (Seeds Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria) and one of the 8-member Ad hoc Committee set up to run the affairs of seed industry in Nigeria today. We are recruiting to fill the positions below:     Job Title: Sales & Marketing Manager Location: Kaduna Job Description

• We have an immediate opening for a Sales & Marketing Manager. This results driven individual should have experience developing and driving a channel approach to growing our brand and our sales, connecting with our customers and coordinating the sales and marketing teams within our organization.
• Responsibilities include developing and achieving marketing and sales goals that are aligned with short and long term strategic plans of the company and providing strong, creative leadership.

General Responsibilities

• Collaborate with multiple internal teams to plan, prioritize, execute and monitor success of all key sales and marketing programs. These will include: on-line sales, wholesale and retail store activities, trade shows, community engagement, social media activities, catalogues, newsletters and pos campaigns;
• Prepare detailed sales and marketing plans and budgets for approval and manage the successful execution thereof and ensure the coordination and communication between teams;
• Motivate and coordinate the activities of the sales and marketing teams to peak performance by providing support and direction, participating in hiring, performance feedback, training, coaching and holding the team to standards of excellence.
• Contribute to the overall strategic plan for Value Seeds Limited.

Marketing:

• Understand current trends in our industry (sales and marketing), expand our target markets and update our programs to improve and enhance our brand, as well as improve customer experience and sales;
• Plan and deploy successful marketing campaigns and own their implementation from ideation to execution;
• Measure and report performance of marketing campaigns;
• Maintain quality control and creative consistency in all marketing activities;
• Oversee and help produce valuable and engaging content that attracts and expands our target groups.

Sales:

• Develop realistic growth forecasts and present sales and expense KPIs and management reports in a timely manner;
• Develop/expand relationships with gardening, farming and lifestyle communities including on-line influencers, bloggers, and initiate campaigns to strengthen the Value Seeds Limited brand;
• Identify and pursue potential new customers and target markets as well as new product and pricing opportunities;
• Achieve growth and hit sales targets by successfully managing the sales team;
• Build and promote strong, long-lasting customer relationships by partnering with them and understanding their needs.

Education and Skills

• Degree or Diploma in Sales / Marketing or other related courses;
• 5+ years’ experience managing sales and marketing for a consumer based Brand, preferably in a similar industry with direct experience in digital, wholesale and retail sales;
• Experience managing and coordinating both inside and outside sales efforts;
• Strong grasp of and experience in both traditional and digital marketing (including catalogue / wholesale and retail programs and social media strategies) in a high growth environment. Record of positive leadership, superior communication &organization skills, people and project management skills with the ability to coordinate, analyze, prioritize and deliver results in a collaborative work environment;
• Knowledge of on-line analytic tools, (Analytics, etc.), Design and Graphics , Website and online marketing (Amazon, SEO, PPC, etc.) and writing and editing content/ad-copy would be an asset;
• A highly motivated individual who possesses high standards of excellence, and entrepreneurial spirit and the utmost integrity;
• Industry experience preferred but a keen interest in agriculture is a must!

    Job Title: Seed Quality Assurance Officer Location: Kaduna Job Description The position holder will among other things perform the following duties:

• Assist in multiplication of virus-free maize, rice, planting material using several different rapid multiplication methods;
• To assist in running research trials and maintenance of the seed store as needed.
• Assist in testing of treatments to improve multiplication rate and reduce cost of rapid multiplication systems in the laboratory and field;
• Assist in planting, maintenance, data collection, harvesting and post-harvest handling of crops from variety trials on-station and on-farm;
• Assist with sales of certified -basic seed include keeping records of sales and facilitating payment and deposit of revenue from stem sales;
• Participate in training of technicians and partners on methods of crops multiplication;
• Assist in supervising subordinate staff on field, laboratory and screenhouse activities;
• Lead in in collection and analyses of field data including preparation of quality technical reports;
• Assist in selecting, developing and improving capacity of seed outgrowers and partners through training and other related capacity- building initiatives.
• Assist and monitor variety demonstrations conducted by the company to sector partners including NGOs
• Support sales and communications staff in preparing materials for publication on websites, pamphlets efforts and project success stories.
• Develop annual forecast plants for breeding and multiplication forecasts
• Identify and develop seed multiplication and breeding sited within the company premises and from outgrowers

    Job Title: Supply Chain Operations Manager (SCOM) Location: Kaduna Job Description

• Reporting to the Managing Director, the SCOM is responsible for strategically managing the production, processing and logistics of the FS in the QBS portfolio.

Responsibilities

• The SCOM will ensure that production and demand plans and activities are aligned and visible across the business;
• Develop systems and S&OP processes, including timely reporting of any issues that may impact plans;
• Field production is done in both a timely and effective manner, to make sure that the planned quantities of seed of specified QBS quality is produced and available as required;
• Approve the recruitment of growers and the implementation of the field production plans from responsible units.
• Effectively manage inventory (including storage and transport) to optimize working capital deployment and assure seed quality is maintained, providing visibility to inventory by line by stocking point;
• Putting in place planning and logistics systems and processes that integrate with the company finance system;
• Lead on development of high impact cost savings and service delivery models for strategic sourcing, and within the context of the specific performance aspirations and Value Seeds business plans.
• Develop framework agreements with suppliers to allow Value Seeds Limited more flexibility around goods or services contracted both in terms of volume and relevance of goods and services while ensuring that each purchase represents the best value.
• Organise procurement & tendering processes in a manner that meets the five metrics of delivering goods and services with a) right quantity, b) right quality, c) right price, d) right time and e) the right location.
• Establish and ensure that operating budgets are followed.
• In coordination with production team, manage day-to-day business aspects of producing seed.
• Manage vendor relationships by clearly communicating expectations, monitoring procurement and supply activities to ensure deliveries meet established specifications and that applicable guidelines are met regarding the quality of the items received timeliness and product availability.
• Negotiate favourable agreements and contracts to gain appropriate savings and service levels; also ensures all legal contract requirements are met.
• Oversee physical stock audits and reconciles inventory records; also manage and coordinate periodic and annual inventory of stock items working with Internal and External Auditors and Finance personnel.
• Ensure the use of Equipment and fleet management systems to monitor costs and performance and prepare management reports.
• Develop Fleet management action plan:

Candidate Requirements

• Masters degree or equivalent in Supply Chain, Logistics Management, Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or any other relevant discipline of study.
• Professional accreditation certification in Logistics/Supply Chain Management highly desirable.
• Well-developed conceptual, critical, and analytical thinking with the ability to convey complex information in a straightforward, interesting way, and influencing this to a wider audience.
• Critical focus on providing a superior service level to managers and colleagues and delivering agreed results within time and budget constraints and to expected standards.
• Proven experience as a team worker and demonstrably cooperative with members of other teams, responding quickly and accurately to queries and issues.

    Job Title: Technical Officer/Research Officer Location: Kaduna Duties and Responsibilities

• Handles administrative and human resource management activities of the outgrowers unit division for seeds production –Maize, Rice, Sorghum and Cowpeas;
• Develops and implements FULLY seed development plan with outgrowers
• Coordinates the procurement and distribution of agricultural inputs for seed production at all levels;
• Manages and records all material and financial expenses diverted to outgrowers;
• Advises farmers on financing of farm operations (inputs, labour) and on proper utilization of inputs to improve the livelihood of the household;
• Develops and implements performance monitoring and evaluation system;
• Prepares plans and budget which enable the unit to achieve its goal
• To work effectively with breeding and production unit to implement field trials, to allot field sites and to design and implement a seasonal plan for all experiments and demonstrations for rice and maize
• To supervise and train both staff to complete field operations including cultivation, irrigation, spraying and harvesting and to ensure safe operations for seeds in conjunction with seed breeding unit.
• To manage the purchasing and maintenance of all field equipment, including sowers, sprayers, cultivators etc for experimental field supplies.
• To ensure good pest and disease management in trials with the use of appropriate IPM practices.
• To ensure that all field sites and especially the demonstration site are well presented and maintained and to supervise the collection and storage of seed of all demonstration

    Job Title: Warehouse Supervisor Location: Kaduna Job Description

• The Warehouse Supervisor will be responsible for supervision of staff, reception, storing and distribution of material, tools, equipment and products within the warehouse and ensuring accuracy and timeliness of all job functions.

Responsibilities

• Organize and direct operations work flow and job responsibilities within the warehouse to ensure effective management of the receipt, storage, picking, packing, loading at acceptable KPI levels and shipping of products to customers.
• Maintain records of inventory and location for production control and cost accounting to ensure adherence to the company warehouse and distribution practices.
• Conduct inventory control through cyclical stock counts to maintain stock integrity and through this, to ensure that financial stock takes and stock counts are conducted according to client contracts and the company cyclical requirements. This would ensure that stock integrity is maintained in line with the Warehouse Management System.
• Co-ordinate with internal customs department, where required, to ensure that customs clearance procedures are complied with and legal requirements are met.
• Develop good relationship with customer to ensure high customer service levels are maintained at all times.
• Meet warehouse operational standards by contributing warehouse information to strategic plans and reviews; implementing production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards; resolving problems; identifying warehouse system improvements.
• Meet warehouse financial standards by providing annual budget information; monitoring expenditures; identifying variances; implementing corrective actions.
• Move inventory by scheduling materials to be moved to and from warehouse; coordinating inventory transfers with related departments.
• Maintain storage area by organizing floor space; adhering to storage design principles; recommending improvements.
• Keep equipment operating by enforcing operating instructions; troubleshooting breakdowns; requiring preventive maintenance; calling for repairs.

Requirements

• The ideal candidate should have a Bachelors Degree in Procurement or a Relevant field, at least 3 years working experience, Communication Proficiency, Organizational Skills, Technical Capacity, Thoroughness and People Management skills.

    Job Title: Head of Finance and Accounts Location: Kaduna Job Description

• Perform day to day accounting operations and financial management functions
• Ensure compliance of both international and internal financial standards
• Prepare annual financial budgets
• Receive and record income;
• Manage all partner grants
• Make and record payments;
• Transact bank account deposits and withdrawals;
• Oversee the petty cash and the cashier responsible for operating the petty cash;
• Reconcile cash monthly and whenever else required;
• Reconcile all bank accounts monthly and whenever else required;
• Generate invoices monthly and as appropriate;
• Maintain records of debtors and creditors;
• Calculate and prepare payroll, including statutory deductions;
• Prepare income and expenditure statements monthly and whenever else required;
• Prepare a balance sheet monthly and whenever else required;
• Generate financial reports as requested;
• Prepare an annual budget before the end of June, and revise/update it as necessary; Supervise day to day accounting operations and financial management functions
• Ensure compliance of both international and internal financial standards
• Prepare annual financial budgets
• Monitor the financial expenditure of the office and projects against the budgets and inform the Programme Coordinator of the budget status for appropriate action.
• Banking: Obtain monthly bank statements and submit transfers

Requirements

• 5+ years Financial Management and Accounting experience
• Proven expertise leading and building a scalable finance function including budgeting, financial modeling, accounting systems, as well as leading and promoting high performance teams
• Experience with private fundraising
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with customers, partners, employees, investors, and management
• A strategic mindset but comfortable and excited to contribute to the tactical day-to-day operations as needed (ready to get your hands dirty!)
• CPA, CFA and/or Finance MBA preferred

    How to Apply Interested and qualified candidates should forward their Comprehensive CV's, Letter of Intent to: [email protected] with the Job Applied for as subject of the mail.   Application Deadline  23rd October, 2017.

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